Birthday Fun for #GDP486 – A Sweet Sketch Challenge!

Leave a comment March 3, 2025 Leah Dixon - Stampin Up! Demonstrator

This week’s Global Design Project (#GDP486) is a sketch challenge, and I couldn’t wait to play along! 🎉 Sketch challenges are one of my favorite ways to spark creativity because they provide a great starting point while still allowing for endless design possibilities.

For this card, I used the Birthday Celebrations Bundle to create a fun, festive birthday card with soft pastel tones, delicate details, and a touch of shimmer. Let’s take a closer look!

Here’s the card I created:

Card Details & Design Inspiration

I started by die-cutting a Basic White circle using the Stylish Shapes Dies as my focal point. To add a fun, dimensional element, I placed a ready-to-use die-cut cupcake with a birthday candle from the Wildflower Birthday DSP pack right in the center. The circle was attached with Stampin’ Dimensionals for extra depth.

For the background, I layered a piece of Coastal Cabana cardstock, a soft striped pattern from the Wildflower Birthday DSP, and a strip of Gold Foil to bring in some shimmer.

The “Happy Birthday” sentiment was created using 2nd generation Blueberry Bushel Ink, giving it a soft yet balanced look while keeping the design festive! 🎂💖

To complete the card, I added a few Pretty in Pink die-cut flowers with Iridescent Foil Gem centers, along with a gold heat-embossed banner, creating the perfect blend of playfulness and elegance. This layout is so versatile—you could easily switch up the colors and stamps for different occasions!

Here is a full list of the supplies I used:

Coastal Cabana 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock $15.75	Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock $15.75	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock $18.00	Pretty In Pink 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock $15.75	Gold Foil Sheets $7.00	Wildflower Birthday 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper & Sticker Sheet (English) $29.25
Birthday Celebration Bundle (English) $56.50	Blueberry Bushel Classic Stampin' Pad $12.25	Versamark Pad $13.00	Embossing Additions Tool Kit $37.00	Metallics Wow! Embossing Powder $29.00	Heat Tool (Us And Canada) $44.00
Iridescent Foil Gems $11.00	Stampin' Dimensionals $6.00	Mini Glue Dots $10.00	Multipurpose Liquid Glue $8.25	Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine $177.00	Paper Snips $16.50

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Join My Birthday Celebrations Card Class! 🎈

Want to make more beautiful birthday cards like this? Join my upcoming Birthday Celebrations Card Class on March 29th! Whether you’re a seasoned crafter or just starting out, this class will teach you fun techniques while you create handmade birthday cards perfect for any celebration!

📅 Date: March 29, 2025
📍 Location: Online
🎟️ Register by: March 5th

✨ Sign up today and let’s craft together! https://form.jotform.com/leahdixon41/birthday-celebration-card-class

Play Along with GDP486!

If you love sketch challenges, I encourage you to play along with this week’s Global Design Project! Get creative, share your design, and most importantly—have fun crafting!

👇 Would you send this card to someone special? How would you use this sketch? Let me know in the comments!

Special Offers and Upcoming Events

When you place an order and use my host code (6HQ62V46) this month, I’ll send you a link to an exclusive 30+ Project Tutorial Bundle as a thank-you!

Upcoming Card Classes

Looking for more crafting fun? Join my March Card Class or April Card Class to learn new techniques and create beautiful projects. Spots are limited, so reserve yours today!

RSVP now for the March 15th class or April 12th class

Looking for more ways to enjoy stamping? Join my Stampin’ Up! Ink Pad Pals team!

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Get free access to my monthly card class tutorials.
Enjoy our monthly team meetings with stamping fun and collaboration.

Contact me to find out more or see the details on my website.

Join now!

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Stay Connected

Want to stay in the loop for all upcoming events, sales, and inspiration?

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Happy crafting, and I can’t wait to see your creations! 💕

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Dino-Mite Birthday Card for the Global Design Project #GDP485

Leave a comment February 25, 2025 Leah Dixon - Stampin Up! Demonstrator

Hello, stamping friends! This week, I’m excited to participate in the @GlobalDesignProject color challenge (#GDP485) featuring Garden Green, Granny Apple Green, and Daffodil Delight. As soon as I saw the color combo, I knew the Darling Dinos stamp set would be perfect for a fun and playful birthday card! 🦕🎉

Here’s the card I created:

Creating This Card

I started with a Granny Apple Green card base and layered a background from the Take a Bow 6″ x 6″ DSP, which adds a playful and textured look. My adorable dinosaur is colored with Granny Apple Green Stampin’ Blends, while the Garden Green details were added using a Stampin’ Write Marker for contrast. For the balloons, I used Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green and then I mixed Granny Apple Green and Shaded Spruce Blends to achieve a Garden Green shade, since there isn’t a Garden Green Blend available—such a fun way to stretch your supplies!

The Daffodil Delight accents bring a cheerful pop of brightness, making this card extra fun and celebratory. To add a little sparkle, I brushed Wink of Stella over the balloons, which gives them a subtle shimmer when they catch the light. ✨

Finishing Touches

The sentiment, “Hope your birthday is DINO-mite!” is stamped and heat embossed in white on a Garden Green cardstock banner for a crisp and bold look. To make the sentiment fit perfectly, I used the Stylish Shapes banner die and double-cut it to create a shorter label—such a handy trick for customizing your die-cut pieces! The stitched circle behind the dino adds a clean focal point while keeping the design fresh and fun.

Here is a full list of the supplies I used:

Granny Apple Green 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock $15.75	Garden Green 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock $15.75	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock $18.00	Take A Bow 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper $17.00	Darling Dinos Bundle (English) $55.75	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad $11.00
Regals Stampin' Write Markers $42.50	Granny Apple Green Stampin' Blends Combo Pack $15.00	Shaded Spruce Stampin' Blends Combo Pack $15.00	Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Combo Pack $15.00	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush $12.25	Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad $12.25
Versamark Pad $13.00	Embossing Additions Tool Kit $37.00	Basics Wow! Embossing Powder $29.00	Heat Tool (Us And Canada) $44.00	Stampin' Dimensionals $6.00	Multipurpose Liquid Glue $8.25
Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine $177.00	Take Your Pick $16.50	Paper Trimmer $39.00	Basic White Medium Envelopes $15.00

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Join the Challenge!

I love how color challenges push me to get creative with my supplies, and this one was especially fun! Have you ever tried mixing Stampin’ Blends to create a custom color? Let me know in the comments! And if you want to join the @GlobalDesignProject challenge this week, head over to their FB page and play along!

Sale-A-Bration is Still On!

Did you know that Sale-A-Bration is happening now? You can earn free Stampin’ Up! products for every $75 CAD you spend until February 28th! It’s the perfect time to stock up on crafting essentials while getting amazing freebies. Don’t miss out on these exclusive rewards!

Special Offers and Upcoming Events

When you use my host code (NSTY47WP) this month, I’ll send you a link to an exclusive 37 Project Tutorial Bundle as a thank-you!

Upcoming Card Classes

Looking for more crafting fun? Join my March Card Class or April Card Class to learn new techniques and create beautiful projects. Spots are limited, so reserve yours today!

Looking for more ways to enjoy stamping? Join my Stampin’ Up! Ink Pad Pals team!

Save 20%+ on your orders.
Get free access to my monthly card class tutorials.
Enjoy our monthly team meetings with stamping fun and collaboration.

During Sale-a-bration there are even more perks to joining.

Option 1 – Join our crafting community as a new demonstrator and you can get $165 CAD worth of products PLUS a choice of two Stampin’ Write Marker Assortments AND the Handmade Designs Cling Stamp Set, an exclusive stamp set designed to work with the markers. That’s a $294 CAD value all for just $135 CAD!
Option 2 – Join Stampin’ Up! during Sale-A-Bration and get $165 CAD worth of product PLUS an additional $41 CAD worth of product of your choice when you join for $135 CAD. That’s a $206 CAD value!

Contact me to find out more or see the details on my website.

Join now!

Join Now!

Stay Connected

Want to stay in the loop for all upcoming events, sales, and inspiration?

Join my newsletter here.
Follow me on social media: linktr.ee/stampinwithleah.

Live in Canada and don’t have a demonstrator? Contact me to get a catalog and find out why now is the perfect time to join my team!

Leave a comment below and don’t forget to subscribe to this blog for more crafty inspiration!

Happy crafting, and I can’t wait to see your creations! 💕

Playful Birthday Card for the Global Design Project CASE Challenge

Leave a comment February 22, 2025 Leah Dixon - Stampin Up! Demonstrator

Hello, stamping friends! This week, I’m joining the @GlobalDesignProject challenge, and it’s a CASE the Designer challenge featuring a beautiful card by Janneke de Jong! As soon as I saw her design, I loved the clean layout and soft ink blending, so I used it as inspiration for my playful birthday card. 🐶🎉

Here’s the card I created:

Creating This Card

The One More Year stamp set has the cutest images, and this little party pup stole my heart. I stamped him in Memento Black ink and colored him with Stampin’ Blends, adding some shading for extra dimension. His party hat needed a little pop, so I used bright colors and a touch of Wink of Stella for shimmer. ✨

To CASE Janneke’s design, I focused on the soft ink-blended background, clean layout, and narrow colored borders. I used Pool Party ink with a Blending Brush to create a subtle glow behind my focal image. This technique keeps the design fresh and light while drawing attention to the stamped image.

The Finishing Touches

To frame the card, I added two narrow strips of Ombre glimmer paper along the edges of the front panel and sprinkled gems across the front of the card—just a hint of shine to tie everything together. The sentiment, “Happy Birthday,” is stamped in black for a crisp, bold look. I love how CASE-ing Janneke’s card gave me a chance to put my own playful spin on her elegant design!

Here is a full list of the supplies I used:

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock $15.50	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock $18.00	Pastel Ombre Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper $16.50	One More Year Cling Stamp Set (English) $33.00	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad $11.00	Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad $12.25
Petunia Pop Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack $15.00	Bubble Bath Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack $15.00	Summer Splash Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack $15.00	Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends Combo Pack $15.00	Blending Brushes $21.00	Paper Snips $16.50
Paper Trimmer $39.00	Stampin' Seal+ $16.50	Stampin' Dimensionals $6.00	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush $12.25	2024–2026 In Color™ Shimmer Gems $11.75

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Join the Fun!

Have you played along with the @GlobalDesignProject challenges before? They’re a great way to spark creativity! I’d love to hear what you think of this card—leave a comment below and let me know if you enjoy CASE challenges. 🐶💖

Sale-A-Bration is Still On!

Special Offers and Upcoming Events

When you use my host code (NSTY47WP) this month, I’ll send you a link to an exclusive 37 Project Tutorial Bundle as a thank-you!

Upcoming Card Classes

Looking for more crafting fun? Join my March Card Class or April Card Class to learn new techniques and create beautiful projects. Spots are limited, so reserve yours today!

Looking for more ways to enjoy stamping? Join my Stampin’ Up! Ink Pad Pals team!

Save 20%+ on your orders.
Get free access to my monthly card class tutorials.
Enjoy our monthly team meetings with stamping fun and collaboration.

During Sale-a-bration there are even more perks to joining.

Option 1 – Join our crafting community as a new demonstrator and you can get $165 CAD worth of products PLUS a choice of two Stampin’ Write Marker Assortments AND the Handmade Designs Cling Stamp Set, an exclusive stamp set designed to work with the markers. That’s a $294 CAD value all for just $135 CAD!
Option 2 – Join Stampin’ Up! during Sale-A-Bration and get $165 CAD worth of product PLUS an additional $41 CAD worth of product of your choice when you join for $135 CAD. That’s a $206 CAD value!

Contact me to find out more or see the details on my website.

Join now!